Everyone's a Critic
by MazokuTenshi
Summary: After nearly losing Nemu, Mayuri regrets his past actions towards her and tries to become a better father with the help of another Captain. Zaraki becomes the unwilling teacher with the help of Yachiru. Bloodbaths and drama ensue. KenMayu.
1. Mistakes and Malice

**Everyone's a Critic**

There was blood. No, that's wrong. There was blood _everywhere_.

Golden eyes widened with surprise and horror as he watched the scene unfold in front of him, his creation and daughter, being impaled with a huge spike intended to kill him. She jumped seconds before the blade could even touch the space only mere inches from his forehead.

"M… Mayuri-sama… I'm sorry." Dark green orbs glistened as the girl looked back at him as she started to fall. Her slim body crashing to the ground with too much force as he would've expected, lying in front of him with the huge blade still sticking out of her heart.

Mayuri was horrified. There was blood everywhere. The impact of the blade against the lieutenant's body was strong enough to let blood escape in spurts and rivers, most of the liquid getting on the Captain himself.

Ishida and Renji stared in shock and dread at what they just witnessed. Moments ago the painted Captain was executing attacks perfectly, the enemy, the fucking pink haired fairy was losing. Mayuri _was winning_; his attacks were hitting his opponent flawlessly. He _knew_ this would be over soon.

Everything was going according to plan, the quincy and the red head told themselves in shaky reassurance. Surely Kurotsuchi-taichou can't be defeated. He planned everything ahead, they _would _win.

They _will_ win.

That is, until the Espada decided to bring someone else into the fight. Aiming for the Lieutenant who was busy guarding the two rescues', he aimed, and fired. It was all he needed to distract the almost victorious man in front of him.

He was an expert in flash steps; that he knew. But Nemu, although he had created her with his own hands, knew she wouldn't make it. If that attack hit her, she would be gone. Gone, as to the point that he couldn't revive her no matter how hard he tried. His increasing worry showed in his eyes, if only for a second.

Flash stepping to Nemu was a grave _mistake_.

As if already seeing the future, he used whatever power he had left to control the huge spike. Instead of aiming for Nemu it had tilted, if by a _little_ and started to aim at Kurotsuchi's head. Green eyes widened in realization and she gave a quick glance to her Captai- no. That's wrong. She looked at her father's face, shocked to see the concern flooding in his eyes as he _tried_ to save her.

Given enough time by the large spike swerving, she was able to jump in front of him, her feet a few inches from the ground. Then she felt it. Her heart was pierced and everything became numb. Looking back at her father's horrified eyes she muttered a few last words and collapsed.

"O… Oi! Kurotsuchi! Be… behind you!" Ishida shouted despite the blood in his throat. He, along with Renji he guessed, had never seen such emotions pass through those sadistic golden eyes.

"Taichou!" Renji screamed.

"How disappointing, Kurotsuchi. You _lost _because of that liability of a lieutenant following in your shadow." The Octava Espada, using his Sonido appeared behind the still frozen Captain, lips curving into a sickening smile as he prepared to push the sword in. "And she died because of you, _taichou_." The last word was spit out with venom as he pushed.

Eyes widened as the blade pierced air. The Espada's eyes scanned his surroundings quickly, let out a surprised gasp as he felt a cold blade against his neck. Feeling a soft breath upon his neck, he gulped. Painted lips moved in closer to his ear, whispering with malice _and_ regret dripping over the words.

"She's a liability of a _daughter_ that died trying to save me."

~*~*~*~*~

A/N: No! It's not over yet… This is pretty much my first time trying to do something in this genre. But I hope I can fit Kenpachi in the next chapter. Hope I didn't do badly on this one.


	2. Illusions blind even the common man

**A/N:** I had fun writing this. Honestly, I love Szayel, but he's just so easy to make the bad _bad _guy when needed to be… sorry for the pink Octava's fans out there… this is not meant to bash him…

I tried to make it as bloody as possible… just to see if I can do it. XD

**Chapter 2**

"She's a liability of a _daughter_ that died trying to save me."

The blade slowly gnawed at the Arrancar's neck as a pale hand held his shoulder in place. Zanpakutou going back and forth, the screams of the dying enemy was unheard by the Shinigami as blood spilled out from his neck, covering the hand wielding the sword.

"Just… just k… kill me!" The Octava shrieked, pain was flooding through every nerve in his body. Arms weakening, unable to fight back as he was slowly cut by the weapon of his adversary, he desperately pleaded for the Shinigami to just end it with one swift stroke. "Kill me! Kill me!" His hoarse voice reached deaf ears as his eyes watered with the pain. He wanted to die.

"R…Renji, we have to stop this." Ishida nervously glanced at his companion, eyes showing fear and panic.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri had gone mad. Not that he was not on the brink of insanity before, but this was different. His eyes were wide, golden pupils dilated and hollow. Lips frozen in a sickly smile- his teeth grinding with each other out of anger. His voice coming out in whispers, saying the same phrase all over again. _You killed her. _After a few minutes of what seemed like a never ending horror movie, the begging stopped. Arms fell limply, pale and covered with blood.

"Idiot, we can't do anything. We… we're here to be rescued by him." the tattooed Shinigami argued. He really wanted it to stop as well. But, seeing as they're unable to move, they were going to have to bear watching everything that was happening. An almost inaudible cough managed to reach him, his eyes straying away from his bloody superior. His eyes widened.

"O…oi! Kurotsuchi-tai…" Renji's voice trailed off.

"Renji, what's wrong…" Ishida stopped when he felt a blade against the back of his neck. Shifting his eyes from his comrade, he was shocked as he watched the fallen Espada lying prone just a few feet from him. Arms and legs sprawled helplessly, probably thrown by the deranged Captain after noticing that _it_ was dead.

"Don't you fucking dare move, fucking reprobate." A snarl escaped painted lips. Eyes void of emotion except that of pure hatred. Reiatsu swirling everywhere, erratic flames of energy pressing against its surroundings, threatening to crush anything that even dared to move.

"K… Kurotsuchi-taichou! Nemu… she…" Renji suddenly blurted out after a few minutes of tense silence. He supported himself with his elbows and looked helplessly at the man. "You have to-"

"I said don't fucking move. Do you want me to fucking kill you as well?" the lieutenant's eyes were filled with defiance. They were also filled with shock and fear. Kurotsuchi-Taichou has a very colorful and complicated vocabulary that he knew. He couldn't keep up with the man sometimes. But this was not normal, Mayuri's language patterns didn't use curses in every of his sentences, even if he was angry as hell.

He was, honestly, _worried_.

And _scared. _

"No. Please, Taichou, listen to me-" clutching his stomach with his left hand, he tried to sit up. He gasped when he felt the thin blade pierce his shoulder. "Taichou! Stop this!"

"Renji! Listen to me for once Ku-"

"Ordering me, fucking Espada?"

"Es… espada?" grasping the sword lodged into his shoulder, Renji shakily stood up despite Ishida's shouts. "Taichou… we're not your enemy."

Ishida was helplessly trying to collect spirit particles, his hand shaking as he tried to regain his powers. He knew trying to talk to the delusional scientist was not going to work. The man's ears and common sense were blocked out by rage. He just hoped _other _reinforcements would come or they would have to worry about more dead bodies.

"Taichou! Please, we're not the enemy!" the redhead attempted to remove the sword from his shoulder, only succeeding when he stumbled and fell back. "Taichou! Nemu, she… she's-"

"She's fucking dead, _Espada_." As soon as the last word was said the man slashed at the injured lieutenant.

"Renji!"

A/N: Oh shitz… Renji…


	3. Really bad luck

LMAO. This chapter would be somewhat focused on Mayuri and Renji, so please bear with me…

~*~*~*~

Tattooed arms rose to defend himself from his vulnerable position, knowing well that he was going to die. Pathetic. He said to himself, being killed in the field, not by the enemy, but by a livid superior. Memories flashed into his mind in an instant. His sad life living in one of the poorest regions in Rukongai, his friends, and _her_, he remembers the struggle he went through to surpass _him_, it would all be in vain if he died, all his effort for nothing.

If he were to die now, he wouldn't be able to tell a certain Kuchiki how much he adored h-

_Boom!_

Renji's arms lowered themselves from his face, a loud crash bringing him out of his thoughts. In front of him sat Ishida, wide eyed and relieved. His tattooed eyebrows lowered in a question, his head slowly shifting to the source of the sound. Dark brown eyes stared in shock at what he saw.

"Espada! Get of me!"

"Espada? Eh, you finally gone mad, Kurotsuchi?"

It was the 11th Captain. Zaraki Kenpachi, his hand holding the scientist up by his neck, Mayuri's feet dangling from the ground. His arms and torso were covered in bandages, which meant that…

"Unohana-Taichou!" Renji breathed in relief, the pain of his injuries forgotten for a moment. The gentle woman was currently kneeling beside Nemu, her lieutenant-Isane, was it?- was walking towards him, seeing as he was in a worse state than the archer. His focus was suddenly trained toward his fellow vice-Captain. "Nemu. Is she…"

"Need not to worry, Abarai-fukotaichou, she will be alright." Her smile reassured him, and he let out a sigh, leaning back when Isane told him to.

"What about Mayu-" Ishida asked sitting beside Nemu as the Captain healed him, stopping when he heard screams.

"Espada! Espada! Espada! I will fucking kill you! Fucking Espada, let go of me, fucking Espada!"

"Ooh, now that's a colorful sentence." Zaraki restrained his prisoner in a tight grip, laughing whenever Mayuri managed to scratch him. "Oi, what should I do with him? I don't suppose killing him will be a bad idea?" bells jingled as Kenpachi faced the 4th division Captain, sharp teeth bared in a smile. Renji and Ishida traded worried looks. Kurotsuchi Mayuri, although not the strongest Captain, was a _very_ scary and formidable opponent when serious. Worse if he were delusional, and Kenpachi, being his usual crazy self, laughed as if his life was not in danger.

"If you can, Zaraki-Taichou, make him snap out of it."

"Clown-chan's gone crazy, hasn't he, Ken-chan?"

Ishida's eyes widened in surprise as he looked behind the woman in front of him, the pink haired wonder popping out from behind the woman's shoulder sporting a huge smile-and apparently uninjured. "Neh, Magane-chan, you and tattoo-chan sure got beat up."

"S…shut up! I bet you didn't even do anything!"

"Braidy-chan, will Nemu-chan be okay?" Yachiru asked, intentionally ignoring the comment of the quincy.

"The impaled point of her body was in serious condition, but seeing as it missed her heart by an inch; it was not an impossible task." She replies, voice becoming softer as she looks away from Ishida, her hand reaching out beside him to give Nemu a tender pat on her head. "Don't worry, she'll be fine."

"Yay! What about Clown-chan?" her small voice wavered, but nonetheless jolly.

"Zaraki-Taichou will take car-"

Unohana stopped, her hands hovering over Ishida's chest, bandages still hanging of her fingers.

"Unohana-Taichou?" Isane asked. After patching Renji up she was worried when her Captain stopped talking. When the older woman did not reply, she let her eyes wander.

Oh. Hell. No.

Zaraki Kenpachi was laughing. He was laughing _and_ coughing up blood. Apparently, the Captain much weaker in strength had managed to stab the bigger man in the side. His thin pale arms shaking as he tried to pry away his sword, with little success. She gasped as she stared; the blade had cut through Zaraki's chest, the hilt resting on the newly made hole as the other side of the blade poked out of his muscular body. This was _not_ good.

"You're a feisty one, aren't yah?" Gripping the wrists of the scientist, he tightened his grip on the albino's neck. Satisfied when the smaller man stopped trying to injure him any further, he loosened his grip on the neck and let go, one hand still holding the wrists-just in case. "Eh, can I kill him now?"

"Zaraki-taichou, please knock him out as gently as you-"

A horrible retching sound paused her mid sentence. Her violet eyes widened in alarm and she turned sharply to her lieutenant. Surprise passed though her eyes, dancing there for a moment before horror and realization quickly took over. Ishida, who froze when he saw the look in Unohana's face, was shocked and suddenly remembered something. Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou, Kurotsuchi Mayuri's Zanpakutou was capable of paralyzing whatever it cuts, and if calibrated by the scientist, can poison as well. He turned his head as well, knowing, just knowing, that he would regret it.

Renji was kneeling down beside Isane, his eyes closed and his body shaking. It was so painful, he thought, it was as if someone had decided to drill a hole in him, and as if that wasn't painful enough, that said person decided on pouring acid into the fresh hole, the liquid seeping into his every vein, just for fun. Every bone in his body felt like breaking, the shattered pieces piercing his unprotected organs, each body part burning. He shook as he sensed a jolt of electricity pass his lungs, his heart, and every other limb. The cries of the people around him were becoming incoherent mumbles; the screeching, laughing and shouting being drowned out by the pain, and his eyes becoming blurry.

If his life weren't in danger, he managed to think through all the throbbing, that he really had bad luck.

"T…the anti…dote, it's… in my uni…form." A small voice managed to slip past his deafening ears and everything went black.

TBC.

Eh… torturing Renji is really fun. I'm gonna introduce another pairing here as well… see if you can guess. XD


	4. Waking up

~*~*~*~

He can't believe it was happening. All of his plans, his ideas, ruined by that blasted girl!

That blasted girl who was currently lying limp just feet across of him, the girl who had been the very source of most of his anger and had been very much the outlet for his temper despite being his best creation.

…the girl who had just saved his life moments earlier.

To be honest, he doesn't know what was really happening. All he remembers was winning-that stroke of luck changing drastically, and seeing her getting hit instead of him. Sure, this might sound cliché, especially coming from him, but everything suddenly went red.

Not that stupid illustration of blacking out or some other stupid shit like that, but more like something overwhelmed him. Something that he was sure he had never felt in all the centuries he has lived. What was it called? Anger? No, he had surely experienced that far too many times. Pain? That was rather close, he thinks, but no, it was something far more painful. Never in all his life has he _suffered_ this feeling before.

But, as soon as his eyes start seeing dark figures everywhere, most of them towering over the dead body of his daughter, he finally realizes what it was.

Anguish. Pure sorrow gripped his cold heart, squeezing at his innards and making him _feel_. The once numb organ inside him had started to ache and hurt, and he wanted it to stop. He honestly didn't know that he could even feel like this. His hearing becomes muffled and all he can sort out are torn up cries and pleas, most likely coming from those _things_. Kicking and clawing at whatever enemy that had him in its grasp surely wasn't helping.

His throat hurts. Oddly, he really doesn't remember screaming, his mouth is open, he was sure of that, but he doesn't hear anything coming out.

"..u."

He stops; the captor notices this and loosens his grip.

"…mu."

He desperately strains himself to hear better. All he can see is black; might have closed his eyes, but he didn't remember ever closing his…

"…emu."

His golden eyes open up quickly, and his eyesight becomes clearer. Z…Zaraki. Since when was he-? His legs are swinging, but, that would mean he was off the ground-!

"Nemu."

The name rolls of his painted lips, and he only notices now that he was the one chanting the name repeatedly. And by the way the bigger man was looking at him; he guesses that he was quite surprised at this.

"Finally decided to come back, eh, Kurotsuchi?" The smaller man hears this much more clearly than before and he feels the hand around his neck let go. Surprised by the sudden loss of something holding him up, Mayuri is a little bit shaken when his feet touch the ground.

~*~*~

Ishida was relieved when Unohana, in just a knick of time, administered the antidote to his companion. At first, it looked like it wasn't working, proving him wrong when the color returned to the lieutenants face, his throaty gasps for air coming out in short pants.

Once reassured that Renji will live, he stares back at the woman lying on the ground. It was amazing that she was still awake, considering the damage done to her body, but he also silently thanked her strength as it was the reason that the redhead was still alive. His thoughts paused for a moment, and as if everybody knew what he was thinking, they all –excluding Nemu, turned their heads to the two Captains on the far side.

"Weird, nothin's happenin'." Zaraki looks down at his chest, the hilt still sticking out of his upper torso, and to the other's mortification, pokes at the hand guard touching his skin. He may not be as informative as Unohana when it came to body parts, but he damn well knew where the heart was, and he knows that the blade is sitting right beside it, every heartbeat causing the sword to slightly vibrate against his body. A small trickle of blood makes it way down his chest, soaking the already bloody bandages around his torso.

It was sorta amusing and a little painful.

It seemed that everyone had forgotten about the scientist sitting just behind the homicidal man-who just so happened to have a sword sticking out of his chest. To everyone's surprise, the Captain shakily stands up using the wall as support and limps to Zaraki, and to everyone's morbid shock, places his hand on the hilt, the bony fingers twirling into the handle and _pulled_.

It was a miracle that blood didn't start squirting out like a fountain from the wound. Ishida would have fainted.

"I don't waste my poison on insignificant trash like you." Mayuri states, breaking the silence, and he simply walks past the larger man and away from the whole group as if nothing happened.

Acting just like the man he was before, Mayuri completely ignored the other's questioning and shocked gazes and trudged on ahead. Though, not easily intimidated by such rude gestures, the older woman reprimands him gently, a bit of authority present.

"There is no harm in staying here for a while, Kurotsuchi-_taichou_," No _–sans_ or _–kuns _like the others she usually calls, only a pure co-worker relationship status evident. "we need to rest for a while too. Then we'll return."

A pause, Renji cautiously looks back and fort of the people around him. Unohana's graceful smile, Kenpachi's amused and expectant grin, Yachiru's curious face, Isane's worried look matching that of the quincy, Nemu, being the focus of all attention earlier, had fallen back asleep, and Mayuri…

Mayuri just stood there as if thinking something over, although this moment of silence from him didn't turn out good, usually.

Dearkamifuckwhattheshitwillhappennext.

The 6th division lieutenant rambles inside his head, resisting the urge to just scream out to the skies and tell the gods to just _get it over with_. He can't stand the tenseness around him, finally making up his mind; he cautiously puts up two hands in a form of defense opening his mouth to say something until…

"Say something and I will kill you." Mayuri speaks softly without turning towards them. He doesn't say more, signaling the others that he had reluctantly agreed with the female Captain.

~*~*~*~

"Kurosaki-kun, Sado-kun, did you feel that-"

"Yeah, no doubt that it was a Captain's reiatsu. I don't know what's going on there, but I want to find out."

"…"

"Let's go, Inoue, Sado."

"Hai!"

~*~*~*~

"Hmmm, I don't know if you've noticed it Ukitake, but-"

"I've noticed it too." The 13th division Captain replies to his companion as the both of them waited for the next attackers. They were winning on this side of the battle, although it was not much. The stronger fighters of Aizen's side still haven't appeared; it was obvious that it was only a battle to exhaust the Shinigami.

"Seems Aizen and the others won't show up, must be hiding in that parallel universe that the Hogokyou can make." Shunsui yawns and proceeds to scan the entire battling grounds, sighing once he realizes that they were no longer needed. "It's no use staying here."

"Tell the others to return here, we need to find a way to open the portal to Hueco Mundo. Who knows what could have happened there." Ukitake says.

~*~*~*~

"Ken-chan, clown face is pretty quiet. Should I cheer him up?"

"Hmm?" Zaraki looks down at his adoptive daughter, for once not sure how to answer that. If this was like any other day without the thought of war present, every division minding their own business, Zaraki would have laughed at the thought of the freaky scientist being down in the dumps.

But looking down at the slightly worried look of his lieutenant made him think twice. He remembers the crazed and delusional state the smaller captain was in. The golden orbs held venom and malice, though for some reason, they weren't directed at _them_-but what he thought was his enemies. He gently pokes Yachiru's forehead with his finger and tells her to move beside Unohana, moving his head slightly to stare at the back of Mayuri. The once proud and arrogant air around him seemed to have gone down, the strong poise now slightly tense and slumped, his head that was usually held high for all to see was noticeably brought down.

"Oi, Abarai." He says, making sure to lower his voice so that Mayuri was sure not to hear the conversation.

"Yeah, Zaraki-taichou?" Renji cautiously rubs the back of his neck. Ishida and the others strain to listen.

"What the hell happened to that asshole over there?" Kenpachi tries to look nonchalant, but a small hint of curiosity was present in his voice. "What crawled up his ass and died?"

"W…well, Zaraki-taichou, he went all crazy when…" Renji trails off. Ishida was kind enough to finish the sentence.

"He reacted when Nemu was about to get hit, must have gotten mad at the Espada for…ummm… taunting him to much." Ishida finishes, desperately wanting to believe his own story. He's seen Mayuri's face when this had happened, he just didn't want to believe that such a cruel man could ever feel. The quincy had always _believed_ that he didn't have a heart.

"Are you sure? He actually reacted to that?" Isane says. "What do you think, Unohana-taichou?"

"I do not know what to make of this as well." Unohana replies and shifts her eyes to the man standing a distance away from them. Even she was worried for the 12th division Captain.

"All I do know is that…" Renji coughs to get the others' attention. "Kurotsuchi-taichou tried to _save_ her."

"Impossible."

A small whisper surprises the whole group save for the two Captains. Heads turn to the direction of the voice, watching Mayuri's unmoving form waiting for something to happen.

"I would never risk my life for hers." He looks at them in such a way that only a portion of his face can be seen.

"Tch. I knew it. It must have been a trick to surprise the Espada." Ishida states out loud, convinced that the scientist did not care even the slightest bit for his daughter. Isane seems to be convinced as well, both of them completely forgetting about the delusional state of the Captain earlier.

But the other four didn't believe Mayuri's words; Yachiru waved it off as a 'bullcrap'. Unohana noticed the slight waver in the pale man's voice but remained silent. The redheaded lieutenant quickly knew that it was a lie, he's heard that tone many times, and most of them being heard from his very own Captain.

Kenpachi agreed with Yachiru on the bullcrap thing. He's caught a glimpse of Mayuri's face when he turned to look at them and saw the confusion and anger in those eyes. _The idiot doesn't even know what's going on with him. Fuck, stop thinking about that assho- shit, what could he be thinking? The hell? Why am I thinking about that freak? _

Yachiru frowned. She's been poking her Ken-chan for about six times now when he should have reacted on the first touch. She didn't know why, but it was clear to her that he was thinking about what had happened earlier. Telling herself that she'll find out later, she flashes over to 'clown-chan' in hopes of cheering him up.

~*~*~*~

"Clown-chan?" She gently tugs at the Mayuri's haori, keeping her voice low as to not be heard by the others. "Are you okay?"

"Go away; I do not have time for this." A simple and quick reply, completely unlike the clown-chan she knows. Light pink lips turn down in a frown.

"You sound lonely, clown-chan." Yachiru ignores his command but instead walks beside him to look at his face. "Is it because of Nemu-chan?"

"Tch."

"It is because of her, right?"

"Go back before I kill you."

"Don't worry, clown-chan, she's okay." The child answers back ignoring his threat, her face gleaming with naïve joy, and for once, Mayuri didn't have anything to say. Her small hand wanders into the sleeve of his coat and just holds on, as if telling him-no, reassuring him that it was going to be alright. The pale man scoffs and looks away but does nothing to remove the hand clutching at his sleeve.

Yachiru looks back and her face seemed to glow brighter when her eyes land on her Ken-chan who was currently under the care of Braidy-chan. Eyes twinkling with pure love at her best friend and role model, she looks up at the frowning face of the scientist. She pouts and debates to herself if she should tell him a secret, one that could benefit clown-chan and some other person she dearly loves. Making up her mind, she tiptoes and pulls on the slightly pink-from all the blood earlier- sleeve of the Captain.

"Waa-?" Mayuri's sudden outburst gets everyone's attention and he finds himself slightly leaning down and staring at the lieutenant's wide eyes. "What do you think you-"

"Shh, it's a secret, clown-chan." She giggles and whispers so softly that only the two of them can hear.

"Ken-chan will help you if you ask _nicely_."

~*~*~*~

I wanted a small and cute scene between Mayuri and Yachiru. Will be posting chapters as long or longer than this from now on. Read and Review please. :D


	5. A Change of Pace

A/N: It seems life has gotten in the way and I am terribly sorry for not updating in centuries. This chapter is a short one because I'm still getting used to a sort of different writing style than before. Hopefully, I can update every two/three weeks or so, seeing as I have college stuff to get on with. Sadly, Anime/Manga is a phase I am outgrowing but fear not for KenMayu is and will forever be my top 1!

And forgive me for my mistakes; I'm lazy to read through everything again.

_Yachiru looks back and her face seemed to glow brighter when her eyes land on her Ken-chan who was currently under the care of Braidy-chan. Eyes twinkling with pure love at her best friend and role model, she looks up at the frowning face of the scientist. She pouts and debates to herself if she should tell him a secret, one that could benefit clown-chan and some other person she dearly loves. Making up her mind, she tiptoes and pulls on the slightly pink-from all the blood earlier- sleeve of the Captain._

"_Waa-?" Mayuri's sudden outburst gets everyone's attention and he finds himself slightly leaning down and staring at the lieutenant's wide eyes. "What do you think you-"_

"_Shh, it's a secret, clown-chan." She giggles and whispers so softly that only the two of them can hear._

"_Ken-chan will help you if you ask nicely." _

An unsettling silence wafted around the odd group in the desert, an occasional grunt and shifting of cloth the only things breaking it for a few seconds. Unohana could only sigh at everything that had transpired. She shifted her eyes to her lieutenant, quietly watching as she fussed over the downed Kurotsuchi. It was a strange relationship, she mused. She could never recall a moment, in which both lieutenants shared something more than professionalism and the occasional chatter, but maybe that was probably why the bond was so strong. Behind all that simple conversations was an understanding that both women had grown for each other.

"That bastard."

Unohana's sharp senses catch the small phrase, from the Quincy boy, she thinks, and is surprised at the hate that dripped off of it. She looked at both young men, boys to her eyes, and was filled with distress at the look absolute fury that graced the younger man's eyes. It was understandable, really. To hate the man who had basically ordered the massacre of your kind, had killed your grandfather, mocked about it in battle, and had tried to kill you himself were certainly reasons enough to have abhorrence for the man. But for it to be such a young man, a kind one at that, was utterly disappointing for the 4th division Captain.

She observed both men, both huddled close together, whispering in hushed tones. Ishida's wounds seemed to be healing already and his resolve, Unohana worries, to hate the masked man seemed to be on full force. He kept looking at Mayuri, his fists tightening, lips bearing for few seconds before going back into their conversation. Renji, however, looked calm compared to the Quincy. He still looked awfully hesitant in answering Ishida, as it seems that a wrong choice of words can agitate him more, but Unohana was impressed at the intelligence lurking beneath the usually loud lieutenant. The 6th Division, particularly their Captain, was quite lucky to have such a terrific man as a companion.

"Unohana-Taichou." Her lieutenant says from beside Nemu, grey eyes meeting hers. "Do you, do you believe Kurotsuchi-Taichou?"

Her eyes widen at that. Isane seemed to have convinced herself that Mayuri was nothing but a monster and to hear her so uncertain, the usually strong woman unsure, it made Unohana's mother instincts flare.

"Isane, there are more to," She pauses, searching for words that would make Isane understand. "_Monsters_ than hate and cruelty. He may seem to be only such but I do believe that there is still a man underneath."

This appears to satisfy Isane for a time being because she stops and goes back to caring for Nemu. Unohana watched her silently. Nemu's wound was almost unsalvageable, she thinks back to the all the panic before, but it was her rare chemical make-up that had saved her. The wound had started healing itself, albeit slowly and almost unnoticeable, before they had even arrived. But what had surprised her most was that even though she had a chance at survival Mayuri did not see this outcome. From what she had seen earlier, the man had obviously gone mad because he thought that his daughter was dead.

"Curious." She blurts out, surprising even herself. Isane looks up at her and tilts her head. "What can you see, Isane?"

Isane blinks for a few moments before letting her gaze travel, landing on the small group of three farthest from them. She narrows her eyes and focuses. From her position she could clearly see the profiles of both powerful Capatins, Kenpachi lounging on the makeshift chair he had cut down from a rock, Mayuri sitting cross-legged a considerable distance away from him –also from a makeshift chair, she muses– and a bright cheery Yachiru sitting beside the smaller Capt-

"Oh." Isane huffs, audible only to the woman talking to her, and wonders. "He is not pushing her away."

Unohana smiles, proud at her lieutenant for being so quick and intelligent, and replies, "I do not agree with many of Kurotsuchi's actions, Isane."

"Hardly anyone does, Taichou."

"But do believe that behind all that monstrosity and chilling exterior lies a heart of a broken man." Unohana says, her eyes shifting from both Captains.

"Unohana-Taichou?" Isane whispers. "What do you mean?"

"Can't you see it, Isane? It is right in front of us." She pauses. "Had been since the beginning."

She looks back to both men and leaves her lieutenant to think on her words. It really was an interesting sight. Kenpachi was perched calmly on his seat, unconsciously scratching against the bandage covering his wound and silently watching his adopted daughter have a conversation –an actual conversation, she notices with amazement– with the painted scientist beside her.

"Baldy's thought about hair." Yachiru absentmindedly swings her legs back and fort and looks up at golden eyes with her hazel ones. "D'you think you can make him hair?"

"It's not worth the effort, brat," Mayuri grunts and waves a thin hand around. "Nor worth the money."

"I bet it'd be really funny seeing Baldy's reaction. But I guess it's a good thing you don't wanna. I mean, Pretty-chan already likes him the way he is, maybe because he can use it as a mirror whenever he wants to." Yachiru smiles, bright and wide, and waves at Kenpachi, whispers, "But hey, I guess we just like the weird things, huh, Clown-chan?"

Kenpachi raises a brow at him and he frowns in return, Unohana observes with utter curiosity. She only wishes that she could hear whatever they were saying but for now, she was content to simply watch the exchange.

"I would undoubtedly regret even asking but," Mayuri sneers, looks down at the pink haired girl and pokes her in the forehead with a bony finger, ignoring the way Kenpachi's eyes seemed to burn holes into him. "What strange thing does the brute like?"

He was hoping for a great blackmail material, one that would give him the upper hand in the future against the 11th Division. But instead of receiving just that, Yachiru perks her lips and giggles, tugging at his coat and forcing him to crouch nearer.

"You're pretty weird, Clown-chan."

Mayuri turned away in surprise, making everyone pause and watch him with scrutiny. He growls at the bigger man in front of him and ignores Yachiru's giggling, letting his mouth run off before his brain could ever catch up.

"Get her away from me, Zaraki, before I strangle her myself!"

In a second Kenpachi was standing, looming and imposing, in front of him, a dark shadow covering the smaller man. He growls, much more menacing than his own, teeth bared, and his jaw tense.

"How about we repeat that and let's see what happens, eh?" Kenpachi says, hand twitching beside his katana, and the smaller man fights the urge to stab the man. Again.

"We're gone for but a minute and this is what greets us? How disappointing."

A warm titter startles everyone. They pause and look back, eyes going wide at the sight of the newcomers.

"Kyouraku." Mayuri snarls, an obvious dislike tinting his voice earning a huge sigh from the receiver, but respectfully bows to the other man. "Ukitake."

"A delight seeing you too, Kurotsuchi." Kyouraku chuckles and gestures to the gateway, morose at the wounded but cheerful with hope, a huge smile gracing his handsome features.

"Now, would everyone like to resume things in Seireitei?"

A/N: Thank you so much to those who have supported me in my terrible punctuality. I apologize because I cannot name names, there are those I remember and those I don't, and it would be such an insult if I forget to mention anyone. PLEASE KNOW THAT YOU PEOPLE ARE AWESOME, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, AND YOUR UNENDING SUPPORT HAS HELPED A TOOOON.


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